Last 17th and 18th May 2023 ToNite flew to Montréal, Canada, where we were invited to participate in the Monréal Night Summit, a two-days international conference on innovative urban policies for the night management. All over the world, many cities are starting to experiment with innovative night policies and models, affecting different areas of urban management: from the management of public places and safety, to the economy, culture, society and young and local communities.
On May 18th, the conference was opened by the keynote speech by Simone d’Antonio from Anci, entitled “Buona notte: Italian night management” dedicated to the experience of ToNite and other Italian cities on the theme of night policies and urban innovation.
The model tested in Turin brought a new point of view into the international meeting, in particular regarding to the ToNite community-based approach which is focused on the involvement of local communities. While the broader ongoing debate on the topic, which also considers urban safety as a priority for intervention, is mainly focused on the involvement of actors from the cultural and creative world, the participants learned with great interest and appreciation how ToNite, in his local projects, was able to activate the citizens, families and other different local groups in the desing of night policies and proximity services.
The involvement of the local community in the definition of night policies is an innovative aspect also in international practices. This approach, which is becoming a characterizing element of the policies of the city of Turin and other Italian cities, has been an interesting and central starting point for the comparison with international policy makers and the other cities from all over the world taking part at the conference.
